I stand at the
door as they swarm into the room- 18, 19, 20. There should be 21, but I know
that the last will arrive late. The variety of needs is great; some need
intensive services right away, while others can wait until a little later; but they
ALL require the products of my training nonetheless. I can’t believe every day
this happens that I’m in charge of such an enormous range of needs every second
of the day that I work my job. I do, however, know that I’m responsible for
each and every life here, and it is my support that will help determine if they have a
future. Thinking back to my internship- my on the ground training- I recall the
adversities from back then as I face some of the same issues now, and I feel
confident that I have had the intense, rigorous, specific training (and passed
the multiple licensing exams) my field requires to save these lives.
Taking down the
chairs, they put their snack on their desks, chat a little with friends, and
get out books to read as the lunch count is called. Within moments every child
has picked one or two learning activities for later, to keep them engaged while
the teachers are teaching small reading groups.
Wait. Did you
think I was a doctor? No. I am a teacher.
The profession
of my heart has been quite discouraging as of late. In my district, my state,
and my country the tide of education is changing and churning. It seems like
everywhere a teacher turns, discouraging news reports and negative newspaper
articles crash over him. Policymakers and Successmakers (who I also fondly
refer to as teachers) need more than ever to work together; but first we must
know each other.
I am a second
grade teacher. I have been educated by an accredited undergraduate college
where I obtained my Bachelors of Science in Education with a 3.78 grade point
average. I also earned a Master’s Degree in Education with a 3.98 average. As I
said before, I passed multiple licensing exams to earn my certification.
I am a teacher,
and I teach in Schenectady, New York. I am also the 2012 New York State Teacher
of the Year. For many readers, that probably makes them think that I am the
“best teacher in New York”. This is absolutely untrue. Instead, I am a
representative sample of the teachers in New York. As a matter of fact, I
believe I am a representative sample of the teachers in Schenectady. I believe
this because I did not form in a bubble, as I like to say. I became the teacher
I am today, the New York State Teacher of the Year, because of the support and
inspiration of my colleagues here in Schenectady. I have emulated the teachers
around me since I first began teaching in 1998. Who I am, as a teacher, is in
large part an imitation of the teachers who I’ve worked with throughout the
years.
Since becoming a
teacher, like the teachers I have worked with, I have taken numerous
professional development courses in reading, writing, math, behavior
management, working with parents, science, education policy, differentiated
instruction, suicide, bullying, Therapeutic Response, and technology to remain
current in educational research and practice. During the rare year that I did
not take an official course in
professional development, I read professional books and articles regularly, as
well as collaborated with colleagues to discuss methods and best practices.
I am highly
qualified to teach my students. I teach with expertise as well as enthusiasm.
It is not enough to say that I care about my students- which of course I do,
deeply. It goes without saying that my love of teaching rests in the students I
teach. But let it be known that I select
individual, research based methods that match my students’ learning styles. Let
it be known that after getting to know each and every child in my class through
personal interaction as well as both formative and summative assessments, I
select instructional methods to deliver the Common Core State Standards that
will best suit our class, as well as individuals. I collaborate with other
teachers at the same grade level, above and below my grade level, as well as
with other education professionals on a daily basis to ensure sound instruction
for my students.
I know my
students. I know where they began their year in my class, and how far they’ve
come. I know how to evaluate their progress and report it to parents. But more
importantly, I KNOW that every child in my class can and will learn. I will
never relent in teaching them, and I will never allow them to give up on
themselves. I have never, nor will I ever wash my hands of any child. If they
don’t know it, I will find a way for them to do it. I will scaffold their
instruction and use my vast training to teach them at their level and help them
achieve their fullest potential. I do this because it is my calling, and
because I know their life depends on it. I do this because I am a teacher.
I am not just a teacher. I am
a teacher. I am an educator. I’m a go-getter, do-better, self-reflecting master.
I educate, facilitate, create, and negotiate. I’m a collaborator and an
innovator, an achiever, a believer, and a tattletale receiver! Teaching is the
most challenging, complex, incredibly rewarding, exceedingly difficult
profession in the world and I love
this job and I’d do it for free- but really you should pay me more. I’m a
life-changing, mind-molding motivator every single day that I teach. I’m a
teacher, and I teach in Schenectady, New York.
